I'll Find You
by ncislove
Summary: Gibbs goes missing, and Abby is the key to getting him back... Although it may be the end of one of them.
1. Chapter 1

Things have finally slowed down, so I can concentrate on writing a bit longer fics rather than just one-shots that turn into two, then three-shots ;)

--------------

Gibbs struggled against the handcuffs secured tightly around his wrists. His mind was cloudy, he hurt, but he briefly allowed himself to reflect on the last time he had been in cuffs – linked to Abby. Shaking the thoughts from his head he tried to think back to what had happened.

He had been out for an early morning run through the neighborhood. He had started running a few mornings a week in an attempt to keep in shape. In the beginning, it wasn't something he enjoyed. He'd much rather workout in the gym, but it was being remodeled. He knew DiNozzo continued to work-out elsewhere, and he had no intention of letting Tony get the better of him once the gym at work was back in use.

After the first few runs, Gibbs started to enjoy his early morning workout. The run gave him time to think, and the fresh air had done wonders to clear his mind, something that the dusty air of the basement didn't seem to do.

_So much for doing something for my health. Look where I ended up._

The last thing he remembered was stopping to stretch out his legs at the front step. _Then…_ His head hurt, he couldn't remember the blow, but there must have been one, and it must have been hard.

He listened for sounds, anything to clue him in to where he was. The room was dark, cold and damp. There was a window to the outside, but it was up high. There was a dark scrap of curtain hanging over it. If he hadn't been cuffed, he would likely have been able to climb out, but with his hands restrained behind his back, he was getting nowhere.

He sat back against the wall and tried to think of who may want to hurt him. If he knew why he had been taken he could possibly talk himself out of the situation. He heard footsteps approach.

"Well, well Agent Gibbs. Nice to see you awake."

Gibbs stared at the man, trying to figure out how he knew him.

"Don't you remember me?"

_No_. Gibbs continued to stare. He wasn't going to say anything until he had figured this out.

"I'm hurt. You killed my brother. But, the details don't matter. But first, tell me, how you feel about one Abigail Sciuto? Oh wait, she prefers Abby, doesn't she?" Jason knew he had struck gold, at the flash of both hatred and despair in Gibbs eyes.

"You do what you want to me, leave her out of this. She's done nothing to you."

"No, but you have." Jason's fist collided with the side of Gibbs face.

-----

Jason Cole had thought about killing Gibbs for several months.

He'd drive by his house, sometimes even getting as far as the front door before going back to his car and driving off. Finally he had come up with a plan. It was simple really, get Gibbs, tell him everything he needed to say and then kill him. But then, as his obsession over the man that had killed his brother grew, he dug deeper into Gibbs life.

Killing him, it would be an easy way out. Gibbs' loved ones would suffer more than Gibbs himself would. Digging into his personal life, Jason found out about his dead wife and daughter. Jason didn't think that would be fair – making all those innocent people, Gibbs team, suffer just so Gibbs could be with his family once and for all.

He thought instead, maybe killing an ex-wife would hurt more than simply killing Gibbs. But then again, they were ex's for a reason. He heard about Hollis Mann… she was his latest girlfriend. But she was all the way in Hawaii. He didn't have the patience to wait for her to visit D.C. again. Then he had witnessed an exchange between Gibbs and his forensic scientist, Abby Scuito.

It wasn't anything special; he had brought her a sugary and caffeinated beverage. It was delivered with a warm smile and a soft kiss to the cheek.

Abby Scuito it was.

The most painful thing, he decided, would be to make him watch Abby die. Well, maybe not watch, the pain of not knowing when it happened would be worse. He knew he needed to get Gibbs first. He could sit and think of all the terrible things that would happen to him, yet the one thing he wouldn't expect, would be the one thing that he would do to him. He wouldn't kill him afterwards, again, it would be the easy way out, no, he would let him go, and a few days later, he would find Abby's body, bloodied and broken.

The score would be even.

He also knew that with their boss missing, Abby would be surrounded by agents at all times. But that was ok; he was going to make this as painful as possible. He was going to let Abby make the choice.

Her life… for his.

He knew she would do it, and he knew that it would kill Gibbs slowly from the inside. From what he could tell there was no romantic relationship between the two, but he could easily see the hero's worship in her eyes, and the soft touches and kisses to her cheek….

Jason was certain that his idea was pure genius.

-----

"Hey Abby, is Gibbs down here?" Tony strode into the lab. It was 0830 and he hadn't seen Gibbs at all.

"I was just about to call up and ask if you had seen him. He's always down to my lab before now. I've got a feeling… and it isn't a good one, Tony."

Tony wrinkled his brow. It was odd that the boss wasn't in by now. "You call his home number, I'll dial his cell." Tony flipped open his phone and Abby lifted the receiver on her desk.

"Voice mail."

"No answer."

"I'm worried Tony, can't you send someone to his house to check?"

"I've got to give it some time. Maybe he's just running late."

"He'd call. Or he'd answer."

Tony nodded his agreement. It wasn't like Gibbs had ever been late, but if he was, he would have called. "I'll check with the director, maybe he knows something. Otherwise, we'll give it until ten, if we haven't heard anything by then… I'll drive over and check it out."

"That's an hour and a half. What if something is wrong and he's just lying in…"

"Abby no, I'm sure he's fine. It's not an anniversary of any kind is it? A birthday, a…"

Abby shook her head. "No."

Tony pulled her into a hug. "Don't worry. Everything will be ok."

-----

Tony's next stop was the director's office. Vance had no idea where Gibbs was, but agreed, if he wasn't in the office by ten, Tony should drive over and check.

When Tony descended the stairs into the squad room he found Abby curled in Gibbs chair. Ziva and McGee were unsure of what to say at Abby's insistence that something wasn't right. When Tony got to his desk he grabbed his gun, badge and keys. "C'mon Ziva, we aren't going to wait until ten."

Ziva started to question him, but his slight nod towards Abby was enough to keep her quiet. Ziva picked up her gun and badge and followed Tony to the elevator. "We'll call." Tony called over his shoulder.

McGee gave up on small talk with Abby and let her sit quietly. He focused on the computer, but looked up every few minutes to check on her.

Abby pounced on the phone as it rang. "Hello!"

"Abby… he's not here. His car is, but we checked every room, the basement, the backyard… he isn't here, but nothing is messed up or broken. No sign of struggle. Was Franks in town over the weekend? Maybe he picked him up and they are drunk a bar somewhere."

"Maybe…"

"We'll be back in ten… don't worry, Abby. He'll turn up."

Abby paced between the desks until the elevator dinged. Tony and Ziva exited the elevator followed by Kevin who worked at the front desk. "Ah, miss Scuito. This was delivered for you. Some guy said it was urgent." Kevin dropped the letter on the desk in front of Abby and continued on.

Abby frowned and reached into the pocket of her lab coat. She pulled out a pair of rubber gloves and slipped them on before opening the envelope.

_Miss Scuito,_

_I've got Special Agent Gibbs. I don't want money. I want a switch. Gibbs… for you.  
Simple as that. Call me at 555-8293 and we'll arrange the switch. If you agree,  
he won't be hurt._

_***_

------------

TBC….

::review::


	2. Chapter 2

Thanks for all the wonderful reviews, they are so inspiring =)

-----

Abby looked up, tears beginning to form in her eyes. Tony was across the room before she could say anything; he used a tissue to take the letter from her trembling hands.

"Oh Abby…"He handed the letter over to Ziva and then wrapped her in a hug. "Is there anyone you could think of who might want to hurt you?"

Abby shook her head, and harshly wiped the tears from her face. "No. But we have to call, I have to do this."

"No, you aren't putting yourself in danger like that. Why don't you take the letter and see if you can pull some prints. I'll pull up Gibbs phone records and see if anything pops up. Ziva and McGee will return to Gibbs' house to dig around, see if we can pull prints off the door handle or something." Tony looked to McGee and Ziva. "Go."

Abby took the letter and headed towards the lab. Tony thought briefly for a moment, and then followed behind. "I'll do my research from your lab." He didn't want her doing something stupid. If she felt that Gibbs being kidnapped was her fault, there were many things that could go wrong.

Abby worked diligently. The only prints she was able to locate were the ones on the envelope from Kevin. The inside was clean, and whoever had sent the letter had obviously used water to wet the seal – there was no DNA to recover either.

"Tony," Abby held up the letter. "Maybe we should just call. Maybe he'll say what he wants with me, we could get some information."

"Not yet. Abby, I know you are worried, but if Gibbs were here, the last thing he would do is let you call. He would never put you in danger. You know that." Tony opened up an evidence bag and held it open for Abby to slide the letter into.

"If Gibbs were here, we wouldn't be in this situation."

"I know."

Abby sighed and slipped the letter into the bag and then turned toward the door. "I'll be back."

Tony stepped in front of her. "Just where do you think you're going?"

"The bathroom, Tony."

"Ok. I'll call Ziva and see if she and McGee have found anything yet."

Abby checked each of the stalls in the bathroom before pulling out her cell phone. She had memorized the number after she had first read the note. It took two rings before a deep voice answered.

_Miss Sciuto?_

"Yes." She was quiet, but she was able to keep her voice steady.

_I wasn't expecting you to call so soon. Your loyalty is impressive._

"What do you want from me?"

_I want you. You come to me and we can do a little switch. Yourself in exchange for Agent Gibbs._

"How do I know you won't just kill us both?"

_If I wanted to kill Agent Gibbs, he'd be dead by now._

"Let me talk to him. How do I know he's still alive?"

_He's a little… sleepy right now, but here… _

Abby heard some movement and then a groan – maybe even her name – but it wasn't clear if it was his voice or not. It sounded like someone had been kicked. "How do I know that isn't someone else?"

_NCIS sure missed out by having you down in the lab. I think you would've made a wonderful investigator. Meet me down at the docks at 4pm and I'll show you that he will be just fine._

"Ok." Abby hung up before she could change her mind.

Abby pocketed her cell phone and splashed cool water over her face. She gripped the sink as she stared at herself in the mirror. "I'll find you Gibbs, I promise."

Once she felt confident enough to go back to the lab, she dried the last drops of water on her face went in search of Tony. "Is there any news from the others?"

"No, nothing yet."

Abby let Tony pull her into another hug. "I won't survive if something happens to him. I just won't."

"I know. I don't think any of us would… but we'll find him, and get him back safely."

The day progressed slowly. McGee and Ziva brought back some finger prints, but they were all of people they knew. Abby had recently visited, as had Ducky. The rest were Gibbs own prints.

Around three o'clock Ziva noticed that Abby was starting to get fidgety. She knew Abby wasn't taking it well, but still, something was off.

"Guys, I need to get out of here for a while. I'll give Franks a call, maybe he can come up and help us."

Tony hesitated. He didn't like the idea of Abby leaving the Navy Yard, but she was right about Mike Franks. "Where are you going?"

"The coffee bar down the street, I could use some fresh air and a Caf-Pow!"

"Take McGee with you."

"I'm not a baby, I don't need a sitter. I just want to go alone, give myself room to think. Maybe with a little fresh air I can come up with someone who would want to hurt me."

Tony hesitated. "Just don't take too long. And you're right. Maybe Franks can help, so sure. Give him a call."

Abby nodded and shrugged out of her lab coat, draping it over the back of Gibbs chair. She took the elevator to the parking garage.

Her first stop was Gibbs house. She knew where he had an extra gun; she wasn't going to go unprepared. She felt as though the short drive to the docks took forever. Arriving shortly before four, she was surprised to see a car parked in the middle of the open space. Abby pulled up behind the car, but kept her distance. She couldn't see anyone in the car, but couldn't be sure.

She sat in the driver seat, her fingers drumming nervously on the steering wheel, until a side door to one of the warehouses opened.

Abby fought back a sob when she saw Gibbs pushed out through the door, down to his knees, his hands cuffed behind him. His face was bloodied. A man walked behind him holding a gun to Gibbs head.

Abby was far enough away that Gibbs hadn't seen her yet.

Abby pushed the car door open but stayed behind it, the gun she had taken from Gibbs house drawn. There was no way she could get a shot without the risk of shooting Gibbs. It wasn't a risk she was willing to take. "Let him go."

Her voice carried, and Gibbs' head snapped up to see Abby several yards away. He felt anger boil up from the pit of his stomach. "Abby…" He struggled again against the cuffs, but still it was no use.

"Put the gun away, Miss Sciuto."

"How do I know you'll let him go?"

"You don't, you need to trust me."

"Why would I do that?" She snapped.

"This is what we'll do. Leave your keys in the ignition. I'll toss you the key to his cuffs, you can leave it on the front seat. Then, toss the gun. You toss the gun, he's free to go, and you'll leave with me."

"Abby, don't do it…_please_." Gibbs decided to forgo the rough exterior he had been trying to uphold and begged.

"I have to Gibbs. I don't have a choice. It's the only way to get you out of here." Abby sat back in the car and stuck the keys in the ignition. She left the door open, it would make it easier for Gibbs to get in and lock the doors to get away. She watched as the keys to the cuffs skidded to a halt a few feet from the car. Cautiously she got out of the car and bent to pick them up. She returned to the car and placed them on the driver seat.

Abby covered half the distance between Gibbs and the man with the gun before she stopped. "Now, let him go."

"Drop your gun."

"Abby don't do it…. _Go_. Get out of here." He was yelling at her now.

The harsh tone in his voice stung, but she knew he was just trying to get her to leave. Abby avoided his eyes and kept hers trained on the man behind him.

"Drop your gun. I won't shoot you, or agent Gibbs. If I wanted you dead, you would be by now. Drop it."

He had a point. Abby knew she wasn't thinking rationally, but she had no other choice. She let the gun drop to the ground, and she heard a sigh of regret come from Gibbs.

"Good job, Abby. Abbs. That is what they call you, right? Ok, let's see." Jason thought for moment. "You step that way…" He directed her closer to his car. Reluctantly Abby did as she was told. "And you…" He grabbed the back of Gibbs shirt, pushing him forward. "…are free to go. Don't think of going for the gun, you won't make it."

Abby watched as the man stepped towards her. She could feel Gibbs eyes on her, but refused to look at him. She opened her mouth to ask what the man wanted with her, but his hand raised and she was stunned by the sharp pain his slap created. She fell against the side of the car and slid down to sit against the tire.

"You and me, we'll have us some fun together." It was the last thing she heard before his foot collided with her stomach. The pain was greater than anything she had experience before. She was unable to handle it and the world faded to black.

------

_TBC…_

_Ooh, to dangle off a cliff…._

_::review::_


	3. Chapter 3

Again, you've no idea how much all the reviews mean, thanks so much!!

-----

Gibbs watched helplessly as blood trickled from her lip after the first slap. He cried out as the man landed a kick against her stomach. Jason just looked over his shoulder at him with a sick smile. He knew he should get to Abby's car, get help, but he felt paralyzed as he watched this monster. When he lost Shannon and Kelly, he hadn't been there to witness it. This time he was front and center.

_If she doesn't make it…_ Gibbs was fairly certain he wouldn't survive losing someone so important in his life a second time around. _This is all my fault._

By the time Gibbs made it to Abby's car, the man had bound Abby's wrists with duck tape and was lifting her into the trunk of his car. Gibbs found himself struggling to unlock the cuffs as the man drove away. Finally out of the cuffs he could no longer see Jason's car. He was tempted to drive in the direction he thought they went, but instead he forced himself to drive back to the Navy Yard.

His head was pounding, but he rushed into the squad room ignoring the pain. "McGee, D.C. license plate TDJ-981…"

"Boss!" The agents jumped up from their seats. "We were so worried. Are you… you're hurt!"

"He's got Abby." Gibbs was frantic. He leaned over McGee's shoulder, watching as he typed in the license plate number.

"Whoa, slow down boss. She was here all day. She just went for a…" It suddenly dawned on Tony that it had been nearly an hour since she had left.

"No!" Gibbs swung around and his fist collided with the file cabinet. "I was just with her. Jason… Jason, I don't know his last name, he had her meet down at the docks. He made her, he… she… she switched places with me."

"You let her hold onto the letter with the number?" Ziva was across the room and in Tony's face in seconds. "What were you thinking?"

"No… No I took it from her. I… She… She went to the bathroom. That's the only time she's been alone."

Gibbs straightened. "What letter?"

"Abby got a letter saying that this man had you and wanted to swap you for Abby. It had a phone number to a call."

"Trace the number."

"We tried, no use. It's not switched on, and it's a prepaid, paid for in cash. No way to trace it until he turns it on again."

"She never should've seen that letter." Gibbs clenched his eyes shut, trying to fight the memory of Abby being kicked.

"I never would've let her read it, but it was delivered to her, so she read it first. I'm sorry boss. Did… did he say what he wanted with her?"

"No." Gibbs looked at his agents. "Just get her back."

"Jason Cole, boss. That's the name that's registered to the plates." McGee pulled up a photo of Jason. "Is that him?"

The sight of him made Gibbs' stomach turn. He nodded. "That's him. I need to know everything about him. He said something about me killing his brother."

"On it, boss."

Gibbs moved towards his desk but paused when he saw Abby's lab coat draped across his chair. He picked it up, fingering the rough material.

"We will find her." He felt Ziva's hand on his shoulder. "But while we work, you should let Ducky look you over and get you cleaned up."

-----

Jason Cole pulled up to his cabin in the woods. He was cautious as he popped the trunk, but Abby was still unconscious. He carried her into the back room of the cabin, and placed her on the ground. It was the same room that he had kept Gibbs locked in. He wasn't going to kill her yet. He was going to drag it out. Send Gibbs a lock of her hair, a bit of fabric from her shirt, maybe a video of her begging for her life… just to keep the fun going. The door to the back room locked automatically behind him as he left.

First he needed supplies. He was going to keep her at the cabin for a week or so, so groceries were a priority. He knew that as soon as his identity was known, his image would be plastered everywhere along the east coast. He needed to get supplies and then lock himself away in the cabin. He double checked the lock, got in the car and drove through the woods to the main road. He decided to drive in the opposite direction of D.C. He didn't want to risk driving by Gibbs on the road.

He was quick as he picked out supplies, mostly for him, a few things that he thought she might eat. He was going to kill her, but he wanted Gibbs to suffer, not Abby. It was unfortunate, he thought, that this poor woman – innocent really – was stuck suffering this fate because of a brother-killer like Gibbs. Jason shrugged to himself and grabbed a second bag of chips.

He kept a low profile, wearing his shades in the grocery store and a baseball cap pulled low over his eyes. Once he paid, he carried the groceries back to his car and set off for the 30 mile drive through the woods towards his cabin.

He had been living there since the death of his brother. It wasn't much, but it was all he needed. He had been able to rig up a satellite connection for TV. He had never been a fan of computers, so there was no need for internet.

He pulled up the cabin, it had been nearly an hour and a half, he was sure Abby would be awake by now. He opened the door and decided to put the groceries away first. Then he would fix dinner for the both of them. If she was polite, he might even let her watch some TV.

"Ah, well… maybe I should see how my guest is doing." Jason set the groceries on the kitchen counter and went to the back room where he had deposited Abby earlier. He pulled out the key and unlocked the door.

Twisting her name in a playful sing-song fashion, he started to push the door open. "Abby…"

-----

TBC

::reviews are sweet like sugar::


	4. Chapter 4

_Chapter four_

McGee found Gibbs down in autopsy. Ducky had been able to convince him to come down for a quick check over and a little help in cleaning his wounds. They were superficial - would be gone within a few days – but a little antiseptic wash wouldn't hurt. "Boss, here is the information we've been able to find on Jason Cole. Not much. He's been unemployed since his brother's death. His brother was an arms dealer that you shot three years ago."

Gibbs didn't speak but McGee could read the question in is look.

"The last known address was his brothers, but no known address after the house was sold."

Gibbs remained eerily silent so Ducky asked the question for him. "What about his brother? Check his records."

McGee looked from Ducky to Gibbs and back to Ducky again. "On it."

"He'll be up in a minute." Ducky dismissed McGee and turned back to Gibbs.

"Why'd she do it, Duck?"

"Why'd she do what, risk her life to save yours?"

"Yes." His eyes closed and he replayed the image of her limp body being lowered into the trunk. Never before had he felt so helpless. Not only helpless, but without Abby, he felt alone. Whenever there was a case, no matter how tough it was, Abby was there. A gentle smile, a soft hand on his shoulder or a tight hug – she always seemed to know what level of comfort he needed. Now he had a case to solve and she wasn't there to help him – not only that, but her life depended on it.

"You know how she feels about you. Abigail would do anything for you."

"She knows I wouldn't want her to do this. _She knows that!"_ Gibbs slammed his fist against the autopsy table. "She knows there is no way I would have allowed her to do something like this. And they let her!"

"She's an independent woman. I know she follows your rules for the most part, but she made her mind up and she went through with it."

"But _why_?"

Ducky replaced the first aid kit to its rightful spot on the shelf. "I don't think Abigail was thinking clearly. She knows you wouldn't want her to put herself into danger, but you also know that she is a stubborn girl. Don't blame the others, they did a fine job of taking care of her, and if she wanted to sneak away, no one could've stopped her."

"I don't blame them… She shouldn't have ever been alone, though. I know they never would have let her. And if she wanted to get away, I know she can be persuasive…"

"Make sure they know that you don't blame them. Especially Tony, you know how he is, he'll blame himself."

"I don't know if I'll survive this if we don't get her back."

"Hmm, funny enough, she said the same thing about you."

"If I don't find her soon… you didn't see the look in his face. This isn't about her, this is about me. If I'm the reason she dies, I… I'll…"

"Jethro. We'll get her back." Though he stopped there, his thoughts continued. _You two are perfect for each other, and I hope this will get you both to realize it and do something about it_.

"We've got to get her back first."

Gibbs jumped off the table to leave, but was stopped by Ducky's firm grasp on his arm. "We will, Jethro. We will."

The doors of the elevator opened and Gibbs stepped out, nearly crashing into Tony. "Boss. Jason Cole's brother owned an old hunting cabin out in the woods. It's about an hour and a half from here. Think he might have taken her there?"

Gibbs thought to where he had been held that morning. Cold, damp… It very well could've been where he had been held that morning. "Got an address?"

"Printing now as we speak."

"Gear up."

"Boss, do you really think you should…" Tony stopped at the glare he received. "Right, grabbing my gear."

"DiNozzo is right, maybe we should send another team that is a little less emotionally vested in the case."

Gibbs just looked at Director Vance as he walked past him towards the elevator.

The long drive was full of awkward silence and uncomfortable looks. Gibbs had reluctantly allowed Ziva to drive. He knew he shouldn't be behind the wheel. The combination of being hit in the head and his wild emotions when it came to the fact that Abby was in danger… he couldn't get them to their destination safely. He also knew that if one person could get from point A to point B faster than he could, it was Ziva.

Ziva had sped through town, weaving in and out of traffic, and finally gave a sigh of relief when they made it to the open back roads of the countryside. They made a final turn. According to the map, the cabin was about 20 miles in. Ziva had to slow slightly to stay on the small dirt road. The trees grew thick around them, and it was much darker compared to the sunny streets in town.

They found the cabin in the middle of a small clearing. Gibbs recognized the car, when he looked at it, all he could see was Abby's still form being dumped in the trunk.

As they pulled up they saw a one of the curtains in the front window flutter. The next thing they know, the barrel of a gun was pointing out the window, giving Ziva hardly enough time to slam on the breaks.

They ducked under a shower of bullets, waiting for brief pause to fire off their own shots.

Jason shot back, taking a break only to reload.

Gibbs wasn't interested in taking Jason alive, he aimed to kill. When Jason disappeared from the window, the team wasn't sure if it was because he had been hit, or if he was planning a different approach.

They waited for a few minutes after the bullets stopped. Gibbs half expected him to bring Abby to the front door, to use her as a shield. He warned his team to be careful if the door opened.

When nothing happened, they decided to go in. The team pulled their bullet proof vests from the trunk. Gibbs and Ziva went to the front door, while Tony and McGee circled around back. Ziva kicked the front door in, and they both rushed in.

Gibbs stopped in his tracks when he saw Jason Cole lying lifeless on the floor, blood seeping from the bullet wounds in his chest.

Pressing her fingers to his neck, Ziva nodded. "He's dead."

Tony and McGee circled around the cabin, with no back door they made their way back to the front entrance. Gibbs went around checking the doors, a closet, the bathroom, the kitchen… the last door he tried was locked.

"Abby!" Gibbs pounded his fist on the door. "Abby tell me you're ok. You're safe now." Gibbs pulled out his lock pick set, his fingers trembling wildly as he tried to unlock the door. Tony was at his side in an instant.

"Let me." Tony worked the small tools from Gibbs' shaky hand and within 30 seconds had the door unlocked. Gibbs pushed into the room praying to find Abby in no worse shape than she had been in the last time he saw her.

"_Oh Abby…"_


	5. Chapter 5

"_Oh Abby… what happened to you…"_

The four agents stared at the empty room. The only signs that someone had been in there was blood against the wall. Gibbs looked up at the small window, he remembered thinking that morning that it was much too high to get out of if ones hands were restrained, and even then it would be difficult. However, the glass was broken, and there were blood smears along the wall, and on the bits of glass still in the frame.

"She escaped."

"Boss, you said she was injured, she'd never make it out such a high window."

"He's right, boss. What if she tried to escape, but Cole moved her elsewhere?"

Gibbs ignored both of them. "Ziva, get Ducky here to pick up the body, McGee, call search and rescue. Tony, let's have a look around outside."

Gibbs and Tony circled the area, but found no trace of blood outside. They checked Cole's car, there was blood in the trunk, but not much. "Boss, I think he hid her somewhere else."

"She's around here, she has to be. My gut tells me she's here. Keep looking."

-----

It was late into the evening before they got Gibbs to stop his search for the night. He was hoarse from calling out her name. The dogs had been brought in, but were of little help. They followed her scent a few hundred yards, but then turned back around when they hit a large stream.

"Gibbs, you need to go home, you need some rest. Its dark, it's hard to see any clues that she would've left for you. You need to get some rest so you'll be on the top of your game tomorrow." Tony had to play up to Gibbs idea that she was still in the forest, if he didn't he knew there was no way he would get his boss to leave.

Gibbs tossed and turned for a few hours catching, at the most, three hours of sleep. As promised, Tony picked him up at 7am, a hot coffee in hand. "I thought you might need this."

Gibbs nodded gratefully as he took the hot beverage and then followed Tony to the car. They covered every inch of the cabin again, but found no clues as to where Abby could be.

When the sky darkened with no sign of Abby, the team began to lose steam. "Boss, there are 20 miles of forest in every direction… I think we are better off in the office trying to figure out where else he could've taken her."

"She's out here, McGee!" Gibbs sat on a fallen log and cradled his head in his hands.

"Boss, not even the cadaver dogs are picking up anything. There must be another clue, somewhere else to look."

Gibbs opened his mouth to respond, but it was all he could do to keep from crying. Abby. _His Abbs_. What the hell had gone wrong?

"What if she made it to the road and someone picked her up? Maybe she'll go back to the Navy Yard. We've sent an alert to all the hospitals, but what if she demands to be taken to NCIS?"

Gibbs thought for a moment, he has a point. Abby hates the hospital, she'd likely return to NCIS first. "Ok, tomorrow we revisit every detail of Cole's brothers' case. I want to know everywhere he had been over the past 10 years. No, I want to know where the both of them have been their entire life. I want to know where their parents were…. Any house, condo, trailer park. I want to know about it."

As they drove away Gibbs couldn't help but feel that they were leaving Abby behind. The search and rescue team had moved slowly through the thick forest. The help of a helicopter was of no use, as the trees were too thick to see between. It all had to be done by foot.

Wednesday the team worked from the office. Every time the elevator _dinged_ the team held their breath and waited for the occupants to exit, exhaling only when they were sure Abby wasn't part of the crowd. Around mid-day they received a call about an anonymous woman that had been brought in to the ER. She was unconscious. The woman making the call hadn't actually seen the woman, but was told she may fit the description.

Gibbs and the team piled into the car and ran through the hall to the front desk in the ER.

"Special Agent Gibbs, I'm here about the unidentified woman brought in."

"Yes, I was the one to make the call. She has woken up, but can't remember anything. Poor girl doesn't even know her name. Follow me." The nurse led them down the hall and pointed to a room. "She's in there. Let me know if that's your girl so I can update her information."

Gibbs hesitated before stepping in the room, Tony, Ziva and McGee at his heels. A young woman matching Abby's description lay in a hospital gown, sleeping peacefully. "It's not Abby." Gibbs dropped his head. "It's not her."

"We will not give up. She is out there somewhere and we will find her." Ziva tried to put conviction in her voice, but she could hardly convince herself, let alone anyone else.

"After 48 hours the chances of finding her alive are…"

"I know, McGee." Tony hissed.

They trod slowly down the hallway, McGee stopping to tell the nurse that it wasn't who they were looking for.

When they returned to the Navy Yard Gibbs found himself back at his desk, clutching the lab coat that Abby had left at his desk. For all the times Abby insisted that they had some sort of mental connection, this would be the perfect time for her to prove him right. "Come on, Abbs, tell me where you are…" Gibbs sat quietly and waited. He felt nothing – though he wasn't sure he wanted to feel anything. What if he felt that she was gone? He had checked the pocket s of the lab coat a million times, but dipped his hands in again to be sure he hadn't missed something. His fingernail snagged on a piece of string. He pulled his hand from the pocket and dropped the small white string. He watched it flutter slowly to the ground. A few inches from where it landed his eyes spotted a folded piece of paper that looked as though it had been dropped. He picked up and unfolded it carefully.

His heart melted when he recognized the familiar scribble of Abby's handwriting.

_Gibbs,_

_If you found this, you're safe and you checked my lab coat pocket like a good agent should. I just wanted you to know that I love you. I've told you a million times at work, but I never got the chance to really tell you. Anyway, I love you. You know, in case I don't get out of this. I mean, don't give up right away, I know you won't but don't spend the rest of your life chasing a ghost either. Build me a boat (small enough to get out of the basement in one piece, please) and set me sail in the ocean. Don't miss me, I'm with you always. Don't blame the others, this was my choice. If I'm already back, but you find this anyway, throw it away. I'll tell you I love you in person.  
Abby._

_God_, even in writing she rambled. He thought of all the times he had stopped her, urged her to get back on track. He would give anything to hear rattle on about mass spectrometers or parties or bowling nuns. He read the letter again and then one more time before he re-folded it and stuck it in his wallet to read later.

Thursday went by in much the same way. Calls came in, possibly sightings, but nothing resulting in finding Abby. They had been called over dead drug-addicts, car accident victims, even a mugging in a grocery store parking lot.

It was Friday and they had all but given up. Gibbs was dead-set that they needed to research the woods. McGee had reminded him that with every passing hour, it was less likely to find her alive.

"She needs food and water…"

"Don't tell me what she needs, McGee. Bring up a map of the area. There has to be a better way to organize a search."

Director Vance leaned over the railing. "I just got off the phone with search and rescue. They are cutting their team in half and changing this to a recovery mission. If she was out there, alive, they would have found her by now. The team leader says that if she's out there, she isn't alive. They'll search through the weekend and then call off the search. Any other ideas of where she could be?"

Gibbs ignored Vance and urged McGee to pull up the map.

This time they heard the _ding_ of the elevator but ignored it. They had stopped jumping at the sound of the elevator after the third day of no sign of Abby – they had been going crazy. Gibbs and his team stood staring at the flat screen. McGee had pulled up a map of the forest surrounding the cabin.

"There are twenty miles of forest in every direction. If we section it off, and pull in teams from…"

"I… I need some help."


	6. Chapter 6

_Chapter six_

Abby was somewhat aware as she was lowered to the cabin floor. She could feel her wrists taped up in front of her, but decided it would be for the best that she stayed still. It would give her much needed time to think. She could feel his eyes on her; he stood for what seemed like an eternity before leaving the room, shutting and locking the door behind him. She peeked through her lashes to observe the room, and strained to listen to the sounds just outside the door.

After ten minutes or so Abby heard the unmistakable sound of a car starting, followed by the sound of the engine fading away, as it drove down the rough dirt road. Pushing herself into a sitting position, Abby struggled against the duct tape around her wrists. At least he had been dumb enough to tape her hands in front of her rather than behind her. She eyed the window, it was high, but if she could get the tape off her wrists she could get through.

Her first job was to get the tape off her wrists. She needed something sharp if she was going to get out of it quickly. There were too many layers to bite through. She looked around, but the room was empty. She looked back at the window, if she broke the glass…. Abby tried to stand, but the shooting pain in her side reminded her that it wouldn't be easy. Leaning against the wall, Abby was able to move to her feet.

The window was high, but she was still able to get enough force behind her fisted hands to break the glass. It hurt like hell, but she was able to saw through the tape on the glass shards still in the window frame. With her hands free, Abby grabbed onto the window sill and pulled herself up. There was no graceful way to get through the small window, so she went head first, stifling a scream as the glass cut deep against her abdomen.

She tumbled to the ground and lay still, as she tried to catch her breath. She could feel her world start to darken at the intense pain, but she forced herself to stay awake by focusing on the shapes of the clouds above.

She gave herself a minute, maybe two, before she struggled to stand. The car was gone, but she had no idea how long before he returned. She wasn't going to waste any time. She limped a few hundred yards into the forest before coming to a steady flowing stream. She knew she was liable to get lost in among the thick trees, she would likely circle around and end up back where she started. Abby figured she'd be heading somewhere if she followed the stream, hopefully it would lead her towards a main road, or maybe a campground or a ranger station.

She was lucky she was wearing jeans; she knew if she didn't find someone to help quickly, she would be spending the night in the woods. It was summer time, she knew she wouldn't freeze to death, but it would still be chilly once the sun set. She rolled up the material and waded into the water. The cold water was refreshing and helped to clear her mind.

She moved as quickly as possible through the water, stopping every now and again to listen for the sounds of someone following her. Abby thought she heard the far-off, yet unmistakable sound of gun-fire. Jason was home and he wasn't happy. She hurried on. As the sky darkened she knew she had to keep moving. She allowed herself time to sit and look over her wounds, the cut to her abdomen was the worst. When she started walking again, she held a hand clamped over it to try and suppress the bleeding the best she could. She had decided that she wasn't going to give herself a longer time to rest until the sun came up. She would find someplace small to hide, and then wait and move through the darkness.

By sunrise she could hardly move her legs. Her steps we small and measured. She stepped out of the water and looked around for somewhere to curl up.

She tried to cover herself with ferns the best she could and let sleep claim her. When she woke again it was dark. The moon shone through the slight break in the trees, she had slept all day. Abby knew she was lucky. Now that her head was a bit clearer, she knew that allowing herself to go to sleep, especially with the amount of blood she had lost was risky. She knew she might not have woken up.

Listening to the sounds of the forest, Abby made her way slowly back to the waters' edge. She cupped her hands and brought water to her lips. She was sure she was hungry, but the angry wound across her belly distracted from the hunger pains.

In an attempt to ignore the situation, Abby thought about what she would normally be doing. If she was in the lab she would be bopping around to her music, chatting away to Bert or whoever happened to stop by. Gibbs would bring her a Caf-Pow. She would flirt with him; she knew all the buttons to press to make him smile. His smile lit up her world, it didn't matter what they were dealing with if she could get him to smile, she automatically had a smile on her face too.

Abby didn't realize that although she was trudging through the forest with a bloodied and broken body, she had a smile on her face.

She wondered what the team was doing, if they had found the cabin, if they were searching for her. She had contemplated leaving some sort of sign, but she figured that Jason knew the area well and would notice anything out of order. That's why she stuck to the water for the first several hours. No chance in leaving a trail, breaking branches, or leaving any other signs of where she headed.

-----

_Twisting her name in a playful sing-song fashion, he started to push the door open. "Abby…"_

"Abby?" Jason spun in a circle around the room, it was empty. He noticed the broken glass, and the blood against the wall. There were shredded bits of duct tape on the floor.

He ran out of the room, slamming the door shut behind him. He flung open the front door and rushed around the cabin to look at the broken window from the outside. He saw no sign of Abby. He took off in the most obvious direction, until he hit the stream. He was about to continue into the forest, but he heard the far off sound of a car speeding down the small dirt road. No one ever drove this far down the road, there was only one person it could've been; Gibbs.

Jason hurried back to the cabin, locking the door behind him. He checked that his gun was still at his hip and waited. He heard the car skid to a stop. Without hesitation, he pushed open the window and began firing his weapon.

-----

TBC….


	7. Chapter 7

Tuesday night slowly faded into Wednesday and Abby again found a place to curl up. She woke suddenly in the middle of the day. She heard plants breaking nearby as someone walked slowly through the undergrowth.

She held her breath, but she was sure the loud _thump-thump_ of her heart beat would give her away. The steps got closer and closer, and then stopped. Abby's eyes were clenched shut and she waited for the fatal blow. When nothing happened, she slowly opened her eyes. Two deep brown eyes stared at her before moving away in a different direction. Abby watched the deer until it was out of sight. When her heart has slowed to a regular pace, Abby allowed herself to drift off again.

It was light when Abby woke again, but the sun was directly above. She figured she must have slept through the rest of Wednesday and Wednesday night. Pulling up her blood soaked shirt, she noted that while it wasn't gushing blood as it had in the beginning, there was still a slow trickle; the edges were inflamed. She knew she was getting weaker, but she refused to give up.

She drank thirstily from the stream, and then continued on.

In order to keep going, Abby ran through the basic procedures of using Major Mass. Spec. If she had been working the case, and Gibbs had discovered the cabin, he would first have the blood tested to be sure it was hers. She imagined herself standing in her lab, the familiar feel of latex gloves covering her hands, Android Lust blaring from her CD player. She worked through the steps of testing blood in her mind. She smiled as she imagined the sound of her dinger _dinging_ as she matched her own blood. Next she would want to call Gibbs, but Gibbs would already know that she had results, and would be setting a Caf-Pow down on her desk as she smiled up at him.

Gibbs faded into the forest, taking Abby's smile with him.

She hurt. The thoughts of Gibbs and team had, in the beginning, kept her mind occupied for an hour or two at a time, but as the hours dragged on she found she could only focus on them for what felt like ten or twenty minutes.

Thursday dragged on and Abby found that she began feeling weaker and weaker. By nightfall she knew she needed to stop. She knew she should be more careful in finding a place to rest, but she didn't have the energy. She found a flat spot and lay down. Her eyes closed.

---

"Is she alive?"

"I don't know, touch her."

"I don't want to touch her, what if she's dead? I ain't ever touched a dead person before."

Abby's eyes fluttered open and she stared at the two men looking down at her.

"Whoa, she's alive. You ok, miss? Here, let's get you on your feet. Can you stand?"

Abby scooted backwards away from the two men. "Don't touch me."

"Whoa, we don't want to hurt you. I'm Brian, this is my friend Nick. We're camping here in the national park, just down that way." He pointed slightly further downstream. "You look like you need help. Come with us, we'll take you to the hospital."

"I don't want to go to a hospital..l."

"Well, where do you want to go?" Nick interrupted.

"I need to go to the Navy Yard. To NCIS."

"I really think you should get to a hospital, your shirt is all bloody. Are you hurt? That's your blood, isn't it?"

"I need to go to the Navy Yard. To NCIS."

"Um, ok… sure, I'll take you there. Follow us back to the campground. I need to tell my wife I'm leaving for a bit.

Abby nodded and stood slowly and followed the two men. Nick's wife took one look at Abby and rushed to her with a bottle of water. "Oh, dear… are you ok?"

"She just keeps repeating that she needs to get to the Navy Yard… something about NCIS."

"Shouldn't she go to a hospital?"

"The whole way back she just kept mumbling about the Navy Yard and NCIS. I assume if I take her there, they'll take her to a doctor."

Once in the car Abby finished off the water from the water bottle and rested her head against the window. She could feel Nick's worried glances but had no words to express anything other than the fact that she needed to get to NCIS.

The closer they got, Abby perked up a bit, telling him when and where to turn. She directed him to the front of the building and instructed him to drop her off at the front gate.

She was lucky that Joe was working security, he knew her well and she was obviously without her ID. He was shocked at the sight of her and offered to call for an ambulance, but she declined, mumbling something about NCIS. He escorted her to the elevator and watched as she leaned against the metal handrail.

The ascent to the squad room took forever. Though the instant the elevator doors shut around her, she felt safe. She was tired and weak, and contemplated just sitting and waiting until someone found her in the elevator. She could smell the faint smell of sawdust and coffee, Tony's overpriced aftershave and cologne… The door opened and it was a struggle to step forward.

McGee's voice carried to her ears, and she never thought she'd be so glad to hear him draw on his boy-scout knowledge. "There are twenty miles of forest in every direction. If we section it off, and pull in teams from…"

Abby stood, unable to speak at first as she watched the team staring intently at the screen in front of them. She held herself up, letting the half-wall by Ziva's desk support her weight. "I… I need some help…"

_-----------------_

_TBC…._

_Thanks so much to everyone who is clickin' the little review button. You guys are so inspiring. I love hearing every ones thoughts on the good, the bad, the in-between. Don't feel shy, just click and leave a few words ^_^_


	8. Chapter 8

_Chapter eight_

_Abby stood, unable to speak as she watched the team staring intently at the screen in front of them. She held herself up, letting the half-wall by Ziva's desk support her weight. "I need some help…"_

"_Abby!_" Everyone rushed towards her, but pulled up when Abby drew back.

Her eyes shifted to the ground as she whimpered. "Don't touch, don't touch…" Her eyes focused on the floor. "I need Ducky."

The team watched as she stood trembling in front of them, her shirt soaked through with blood. Gibbs quelled his emotions and took charge of the situation. "DiNozzo, get Ducky. McGee, call off search and rescue, Ziva, get an ambulance here." He turned back to Abby; she still wasn't looking at anyone. He took half a step forward and whispered her name. "Abby?"

She shrunk back further, wrapping her arms around her middle section. "…don't touch, don't touch…"

"I won't touch, Abby, but will you look at me?" He dipped his head down to try and catch her gaze.

"I need Ducky…. I need to see Ducky." Her lower lip trembled as she spoke.

Gibbs watched a tear roll down her cheek and he ached to reach out, pull her into his arms and wipe it away. "He's coming, Abbs… he's on his way."

"ETA for the medics is about five minutes." Ziva stood beside Gibbs and looked at Abby. "She's so…" She looked her over, the blood soaked shirt, the dirt covering her arms and legs… her jeans were ragged. "… so broken."

Ducky rushed forward when he saw Abby, detouring slightly to grab the chair from Tony's desk. "Abigail, will you sit down for me?"

Abby nodded and with Ducky's support, lowered herself to the chair. "All this blood, Abby can you show me where you're hurt?"

Abby looked nervously from Ducky to Gibbs and then back to Ducky.

"It's ok Abby, you're safe. I need to see where you're hurt so I can help you." Ducky hesitantly reached out and touched her shoulder.

Abby reached up and wiped the tears from her cheek, leaving a smear of blood and dirt across her face. Taking a deep breath she slowly peeled the shirt away from her stomach to reveal the deep gash, wincing as the dried blood pulled at her tender skin.

Gibbs couldn't stop the sharp intake of air when he saw the infected wound. He knew he had to step away, letting Abby see him so upset wasn't what she needed.

Ducky sighed. "What did he do to you?"

The medics arrived leaving Abby no chance to respond. Ducky stepped back to let them take over, but Abby reached out for him. "I'm right here, my dear. I won't go anywhere." He looked back at Gibbs who nodded at him, telling him to go with her, and that he would follow behind with the team.

-----

Gibbs arrived at the hospital to find Ducky sitting in the waiting room. "How is she, Duck?"

"I had to sedate her so that the other doctors could work on her. She wouldn't let them touch her."

"She wouldn't let me near her either."Gibbs sighed and ran his hands through his hair. "This is all my fault."

"Jethro, don't play the blame game. I know you each blame yourselves for the situation, but that won't help anything. As for Abby, she is in shock. Her mind was on one track, she knew she needed a doctor. That's why she thought of me. Give her time, she'll recover. She's lost a lot of blood, how she was able to walk in to the office amazes me. She's dehydrated, she needs food and she's sick. The gash on her stomach is infected, and she's spiked a fever. They will clean out as much of the infection as possible, bandage her up, and put her on IV antibiotics. She should be fine within a few days. Abby is a fighter."

"If he wasn't already dead, I'd kill him right now for hurting her, for involving her in his problem with me." Gibbs had been pacing, but he stopped and dropped heavily into the chair beside Ducky. "Because I care about her, she was targeted by a maniac."

"He didn't cause that wound. She climbed out the window like you said she had. She caught on the glass shards as she went through. Except for what you saw, he didn't hurt her further, the rest of her injuries are from her escape."

"I knew she was in the woods… I should've moved faster after we first found the cabin. Where did she go?"

"She didn't say any more, I gave her the sedative."

"I should have found her… she's been in the woods for days, alone, scared, injured…." Gibbs rested his head in his hands. "I let her down. I promised her that I would always keep her safe, and I let her down."

"She decided to meet Jason Cole. She knew the danger. Don't put this on yourself." Ducky gripped his shoulder. "Pushing Abby away won't keep her safe. She needs you now, more than ever."

Gibbs was quick to his feet, slamming his fist against the wall. "I should've done something."

"There was nothing you could have done. You need to put it behind you. She's safe now."

It took five hours before a doctor came in search of them. "You're here for Abigail Sc-"

"Yes!" Everyone got to their feet immediately.

"She is being set up in her own room as we speak, but she won't be awake until tomorrow, most likely."

"How is she?" Ducky inquired.

"She should be fine. Our biggest concern was blood loss, but we've given her three units of blood. How she managed to last so long and move so far loosing that much blood… I have no idea. She's stable and I'm sure she'll be fine. We cleaned out the infection on the largest wound across her abdomen and bandaged it well. At this point there isn't really any need to stitch it up. There were several small cuts to her hands, we think from when she broke the glass, so her hands are bandaged up, though they are nearly healed. We took her for a CT scan, and her brain looks normal, no sign of head trauma. Other than that, everything seems to be superficial. The bruises and cuts… she seems to have taken quite a blow to the stomach at some point."

Gibbs nodded. "I saw it, he kicked her."

"Well, there was no damage done to any of her organs. But anyway, we've got her on IV antibiotics as well as fluids; she is extremely dehydrated as well."

"She said she followed a stream."

"Yes, and I'm sure she drank a little, but with the summer heat, and the movement as well as the loss of blood, it wasn't anywhere near enough. But all in all, she should be good to go in a few days."

"Physically. What about mentally?"

"Dr. Mallard here told me she is quite the fighter. I'm sure with a couple of days rest, and being surrounded by people who care, she should be fine. Maybe find someone she could talk too, sometimes it helps to talk to someone you don't know."

"Thank you, doctor. Can we see her now?" Tony stepped up.

"Yes, room 216. Down that hall and to the right, but remember, she likely won't wake until tomorrow. She's exhausted, and with a combination of the sedative we had to give her…. She needs to rest." The doctor handed her chart to a nurse at the front desk and excused himself.

The team piled into Abby's room and watched her sleep. Gibbs stood next to her bed, looking down at her. The small split of her lip from when Jason had hit her had pretty much healed over, and except for the fact that she was slightly ashen in color and her cheeks a tad gaunt; he could almost pretend that she wasn't injured. But his eyes traveled down… he knew there was a thick bandage covering her mid-section, and her hands, at her sides were wrapped with white gauze. From one hand he saw the tubes emerging from the bandage indicating her IV.

He leaned forward to touch his lips to her forehead before pulling up a chair and settling down.

At 2100 a nurse came around to tell them that visiting hours were over. Gibbs tried to fight it, but Ducky stopped him. "Go home Jethro. You look a mess. Is that how you want Abby to see you when she wakes up? Go home, take a shower, and get some sleep. I'm sure that the nurse will call you immediately…" Ducky shot a look at the nurse. "… if she wakes up before you get back in the morning."

"If you'll write down your number, I will call with any change." The nurse handed him a piece of paper.

Gibbs knew Ducky was right, so he took the paper, scribbled down his cell number, and handed it back to the nurse. With a final kiss to the forehead Gibbs tucked the blankets around her and followed Ducky out the door.


	9. Chapter 9

**AN:** Sorry on the slight delay – I've been good about posting first thing in the morning, but I ended up with a crazy high fever last night, and thus slept through most of today. Anyway, enjoy chapter 9 – let me know what you think!

-------------

Gibbs slept fitfully, cell phone in hand, waking ever hour or so to check that he hadn't missed a call.

They all arrived at 0800 to find that Abby was still asleep. They were able to see her briefly before the nurse asked them to step out while she changed the bandages.

Abby felt the sting of the anti-bacterial ointment as it was applied to her stomach. She flinched against the pain, but a soothing voice settled her and called for her to open her eyes.

"Miss Sciuto… ah, there you are my dear. My name is Emily, and I'm just here to change the bandages."

Abby nodded at the woman and let her continue to talk. "You're friends are waiting just outside. You've got quiet the crowd waiting for you. They will be thrilled to hear you are awake."

"Wait."

The nurse continued to wrap the fresh gauze around Abby's hand, but gave her a questionable look.

"Can I see Ducky first?"

"Ducky?"

"Dr. Mallard… is he out there?"

"Ah, yes. Dr. Mallard. I will send him in first." The nurse finished with Abby's other hand and checked her temperature. "Dr. Mallard will be right in."

Emily stepped outside and waited as everyone waiting for Abby stepped towards her. "Her wounds are healing nicely, the antibiotic is working well. She's still fighting a slight fever, from the infection. It's down around 100.0F, but we'll be sure to keep an eye on it. She is awake now, and asked to see Dr. Mallard first."

Ducky pushed the door open and slipped inside. "Abigail."

Abby looked up at him with tears in her eyes.

"Oh Abigail, don't cry… everything is ok now."

"He's mad at me, isn't he? They all are… They told me not to call, but I had too."

"They aren't mad at you, dear. They've been worried sick, but they are relieved that you are safe. We all are."

"I didn't talk to him, yesterday… I just, I couldn't."

Ducky patted her arm soothingly. "You were in shock, dear. He knows that. Can I go get the others now? I'm afraid the floor won't take much more of Tony's pacing. You know how he gets."

Abby cracked a slight smile and nodded.

Ducky stepped out of the room. "You guys can go in now…" Ducky waited as McGee, Ziva and Tony rushed through the doors, but stepped in front of Gibbs. "Jethro, she thinks you're mad at her for what she did…"

"I am! I'm mad… I'm not mad at her… I just, I don't know. She could have been killed. She could've have killed herself."

"Yes, and she did it for you. Just be careful with what you say to her."

-----

Tony was the first to reach Abby's bed side. "Abby… I don't even know what to say. Thank God, you're ok." He wanted to pull her into his arms and hug her until tomorrow.

"I'll be fine Tony." Abby looked to each of her friends. "You guys, I'm really sorry. I shouldn't have just left like that without telling you, but I know you never would've let me do that, so I had to do it."

Tony opened his mouth to say something, but Abby cut him off. "Don't say you would've gone with, as back up. You wouldn't have. You wouldn't have let me step foot outside the navy yard, and then he would've hurt Gibbs. It had to be this way."

"We're just glad you're ok." Tony reached out to wipe a tear from Abby's cheek, and struggled to keep his own from falling.

Gibbs entered the room a few moments later, but hung back. Abby was chatting with the others, and he saw a small smile play on her lips, though it failed to reach her eyes. She put on a show for her friends.

"Ooh, who's been manning my lab? Has it blown up yet? Oh God, what happened to Bert?"

Gibbs stepped forward. "I have Bert. He's safe."

She hadn't noticed him until he spoke; her eyes flickered up to his and her heart beats a little faster. "Gibbs."

"I think some coffee might be in order. Maybe we can sneak you in a Caf-Pow." Ziva moved towards the door, with McGee at her heels. "Tony?"

"Yeah, sure, I'll take a coffee…. Right, I'll go with you to get that coffee." It suddenly dawned on Tony, the point that Ziva was trying to make.

Gibbs watched his team file out.

"GibbsIcouldn'tgoonlivingifsomethinghappenedtoyou…" Abby stumbled over her words. "…that'swhyIhadtoswitchplaceswithyou."

Gibbs pulled a chair up next to Abby's bed and waited for her to finish. He knew she needed to get it all out. When she slowed down, he reached out and brushed a few strands of hair away from her face. "Did it ever occur to you that maybe some people wouldn't survive if something happened to you?"

Abby rolled her eyes at him. "Gibbs, you run the team… hell, you practically run the agency. I'm sure who ever is in my lab right now is doing a…" she thought for a moment, "a satisfactory job."

"Abby!" Gibbs stood and the chair scooted back sharply making Abby jump slightly. "I'm not talking about work here, if we didn't get you back…" He ran his hand through his hair while he paced. "… I don't know what I would've done."

"I'm here Gibbs." Abby reached out momentarily, but then realized that her hands were wrapped, so she put her hand back at her side.

"I know." Gibbs sat back in the chair and scooted up to her bedside again. "Tell me what happened, Abby."

"It doesn't matter. Ducky said that Jason is dead?"

"Yeah, we found him in the cabin. But I'd like to know what exactly happened, what he did after he drove away with you."

Abby shifted her eyes to look at her bandaged hands. "He didn't do anything. He brought me to the cabin, and then left. I managed to break the window and use the broken glass to cut the tape off. That's what happened to my hands. I crawled through the window, that's how I cut my stomach. Then I just followed the stream until I got near the campground along highway 78. That's when… some guys found me and drove me to NCIS yesterday." Abby used the crisp white sheets to dab at her eyes.

"You followed the stream?"

Abby nodded. "I figured that he knew the woods well, and I didn't want to risk leaving a trail, broken branches or something. If I walked in the water, I couldn't leave a trail."

"You did a good job. We had the dogs out in the woods and they couldn't pick up your scent."

Abby sank back into the hospital bed and closed her eyes.

"I'm going to let you get some rest. I'll be just outside." Gibbs started to stand.

"Stay in here, please." Abby's voice wavered as she fought against the tears.

"I'll stay. Get some rest." Gibbs settled back in the chair, closing his eyes.

Abby noticed the distinct lack of physical contact, no kiss to the cheek, no touch to her arm... _I was right, he's mad_.

------

TBC….

Review, if you please ^_^


	10. Chapter 10

Gibbs watched as she tried to sleep. Every so often her eyes would flutter open to check that he was still there and he would tell her to close her eyes and sleep. He longed to climb into the bed beside her and hold her close. He wanted to stroke her hair and tell her that everything would be ok. The one thing stopping him was Abby's voice from the day before _"don't touch, don't touch…"_

"_Don't touch, don't touch…"_ it was on a continuous reel in his mind. It's as if he had been stabbed in the chest when she had shyed away from him. He knew he shouldn't take it personally, Ducky had said that she was in shock. But still, he had always been able to comfort her and now… now he was reduced to sitting and watching. And waiting.

At 2100 the nurse came around to tell Gibbs that he needed to leave. He debated the idea of fighting to stay, but there was nothing he could do, so he left.

Abby woke around mid-night. She had been having a horrible dream. _She was running barefoot through the dark forest with Jason close behind. She could see Gibbs up ahead, but even running as fast as she could Jason was catching up to her. Gibbs just stood watching her. She reached out to him, screaming out his name…_

"There there, dear. It was just a bad dream." A nurse patted her arm.

"Gibbs… I need him here."

"We sent him home a few hours ago. He'll be back in the morning. Go back to sleep." The nurse adjusted the IV bag and left the room.

Abby tried to fall back asleep, but her eyes opened every hour, and she watched as the time passed slowly. Eventually, she had had enough. Abby sat up and swung her legs over the edge of the bed. She was careful as she unwound the gauze from one hand and then the other. The cuts were healing nicely, and only the worst of the cuts were still scabbed over, the rest were small red marks, slowly fading away.

She took a deep breath and slid the IV from her hand. She was wearing a hospital gown, but Ziva had brought her a pair of sweat pants, so at least she didn't have to worry about a breeze showing her underwear.

Abby knew it wouldn't be easy to get out. It was nearly 6am, the hallways were still relatively silent, and the nurses would likely notice her walking towards the elevator. She had no money with her, but she planned to catch a cab home. She could run in and grab her wallet and pay the cabby that way. Then she would change and figure out where to go next. She wanted to see Gibbs, they needed to talk, but she was a little scared.

He was mad at her, she could tell.

Her feet ached when they hit the ground. She slipped them into the hospital issue slippers and walked to the door. It was open an inch, and Abby listened for a few moments. She heard nothing so she pulled the door open and stepped out.

She didn't get far; she turned quickly to go left down the hallway but collided with someone. Hands gripped at her shoulders to steady her as she hissed against the pain from her stomach. "Abby? Where do you think you're going?"

"Tony… I uh…" She dug for a reply, but sighed. She couldn't lie to Tony again. "I was leaving."

Tony turned her around, and walked her back to her bed. "I'm pretty sure they don't discharge patients this early in the morning. Nice try. Imagine how I would've felt to come here and find you missing. Imagine what Gibbs would do?"

"I would've called right when I got home, I promise."

"Right. Stay here, I'm going to get the nurse to put your IV back in and rewrap your hands."

"Don't go, Tony."

"I'll be right back." Tony stepped outside and called for a nurse. Nurse Emily came in and muttered her disappointment.

"I'm just going to grab a coffee. I'll be right back." Tony ducked out while the nurse pulled out clean bandages.

"You really should leave your bandages alone. I think we can switch to an oral antibiotic, so we can leave the IV out." Emily set to work re-wrapping Abby's hands.

"When can I go home?"

"Maybe tomorrow, we'll see. Let's change the bandage over your stomach while we're at it." The nurse pulled back the sheet and then lifted the hospital gown. She was careful as she exposed the wound. "Oh, this is healing nicely."

"It itches."

"That's a good sign, it means it's healing." The nurse used a sterile towel to clean the wound and then dried it. I'm going to leave this uncovered to get a little air while I go get some neosporin. I don't think we need the strong stuff anymore."

Tony arrived a few moments later, coffee in hand. "Oh wow, that uh… looks better, but… that must've hurt, big time."

"A little. Why are you here so early?"

"I couldn't sleep."

The nurse returned and finished covering Abby's wound. After the nurse finished, she settled back with a yawn.

"Did you get much sleep?"

Abby shook her head. "No."

"Nightmare?"

"I was in the woods…. And he… he was chasing me. I was trying to get to Gibbs, but… I… I couldn't."

"Oh Abby." Tony set his coffee down on the table beside her bed. "Can I sit with you?"

Abby scooted over, allowing Tony to climb on to the bed with her. Abby snuggled into his arms, keeping her middle section from twisting.

"I was so worried, Abby. I almost lost you and Gibbs in the same day."

"It wasn't your fault, Tony. Once I made up my mind there was no changing it. I was just lucky that I have such a good memory; otherwise I never would have had the chance to call. You were doing a good job. I just didn't have the patience to wait. I'm sorry."

Tony held her a little tighter and pressed a kiss against the top of her head. It wasn't Gibbs, but it was comforting and Abby found herself falling asleep.

Gibbs arrived shortly after 0900 to find Abby curled up against Tony. Her hands were still bandaged, but he noticed the lack of IV. That must be a good sign.

"Boss…" Tony shifted, trying to move away from Abby without waking her up.

"Stay, DiNozzo. You'll wake her up. She needs her rest."

Gibbs took a step forward to tuck Bert under Abby's arm and then turned to leave.

"Boss, where you going? She'll want to see you."

"You've got everything under control, DiNozzo. I'll head in to the office and get started on the paper work." Gibbs kept his face neutral. "Call if she needs anything."

"I will."

In the comfort and safety of Tony's arms, Abby managed to sleep the entire day, waking at 2100 when the nurses came and asked Tony to leave.

"But Tony…"

"I'll be back tomorrow. Bright and early."

"Thanks."

The night passed slowly for Abby. She was wide awake, having slept the entire day. One of the night nurses joined her for a while and they watched late-night television. Abby started to yawn around 0500, but made herself stay away until Tony arrived, shortly after 0600.

"Did you sleep?"

A faint smile crossed her lips. "No. I waited for you."

Tony flashed his best play-boy grin. "You know, if all this drama has just been a ploy to sleep with me, you should've just asked. I would've said yes a long time ago."

Abby rolled her eyes. "Yeah, that's it."

Tony kicked off his shoes and settled beside her on the bed.

"How are the others?"

Tony grunted. "Gibbs has them working like crazy. I should thank you, he stopped by yesterday and told me to stay with you as long as you needed. I spoke to McProbster and he said Gibbs was miserable yesterday."

"Will he come by again today? I want to talk to him."

"I'm sure he will." Tony settled his cheek against the top of her head. Abby snuggled close and let herself drift off to sleep.

Abby woke on her own shortly before 2100. "Was Gibbs here?"

"Uh huh, he said not to wake you." Tony lied. He wasn't sure why Gibbs hadn't stopped by.

"You are the worst liar ever, Tony."

"I…"

The nurse came in to tell him it was time to leave.

"Tony." Abby grabbed his arm. "Take me with you. I need to see Gibbs."

"Abby, I can't…"

"Tony, what happened last time you didn't let me do what I wanted?"

Tony thought for a moment. "Crap. I'll see what I can do."


	11. Chapter 11

"Damnit DiNozzo!" Gibbs tore open his front door after having seen Tony's car in the driveway. "What do you… _Abby?"_

"Look boss, I didn't have a choice, she threatened all sorts of things and the nurse gave in and let her leave, as long as she wasn't staying alone." It wasn't completely true, Tony had issued a few of the threats as well, he knew Abby would relax more once she was somewhere she felt safe. "Here are the antibiotics, instructions are on the bottle. She's good for tonight." Tony handed Gibbs a small paper bag.

Abby grabbed the backpack that Tony was carrying and stepped inside, walking past Gibbs, without invitation.

"She wanted to come here, so…" Tony stayed on the front step and rocked back on his heels.

Gibbs sighed. "Come in, Tony."

"You know, I need to get home. Uh, I'll see you tomorrow."

Gibbs raised an eyebrow and watched him turn and rush back to his car. He shut and locked the door and turned to see Abby standing further down the hallway.

Abby had planned out a million things to say on the ride from her place, where she packed a few things for the night, to his. The moment he turned around to look at her, she couldn't come up with one single thing to say. "I need to take a shower."

"Can you?" Gibbs pointed at her midsection.

"Yeah, I just can't let the spray hit directly."

"I'll carry your bag upstairs." Gibbs took the backpack from her hands and waited for Abby to start up the stairs before following along behind her. He brought her bag to his room; the bed was more comfortable than the one in the guest room. He found a soft towel and left it on the bathroom counter.

After her shower Abby slipped into her pajamas, the silky fabric a stark contrast to the dirty clothes she had worn in the forest and to the heavily bleached hospital gown. She let the wound across her stomach air dry while she combed her hair, and then re-dressed it.

Gibbs was waiting in the hallway when she opened the bathroom door. He directed her back towards his bedroom. She thought he was about to place a hand on her lower back, but contact was never made.

"Gibbs, can we talk?"

"We'll talk tomorrow. You need to get in to bed. You need to rest."

"But I'm not tired, I slept all…" The look on his face told her not to argue. "Fine." Abby watched at Gibbs pulled back the covers and fluffed up the pillow.

Reluctantly, Abby crawled beneath the sheets. His bed was comfortable, she decided, snuggling back. Gibbs pulled the covers up around her shoulders and whispered good night.

"Where are you going?"

"Downstairs."

Downstairs only meant one thing, the boat. "Oh."

"Night Abby, get me if you need something; anything." There was a look of sadness in his eyes as he stood in the doorway.

Abby closed her eyes and listened to his footsteps as he left the room, and then headed down stairs. She heard the door to the basement open....

Abby tossed and turned for twenty minutes before she had had enough. She had slept all day, she was far from tired, and she knew that she wasn't going to sleep unless she had at least tried to settle things with Gibbs. She was quiet until she hit the steps to the basement. She thought she'd give him fair warning that she was headed down.

"Abby..?" Gibbs stepped back from the boat to watch her step slowly down the stairs. "Is everything ok?"

Abby paused at the bottom. "Are you _that_ mad at me, Gibbs?"

"Huh?" He tossed the sandpaper to the work benched and turned back to face her.

"I get that you're upset that I lied to the others and left the Navy Yard to trade places with you, and I know you'd never want me to do that, but it, this, has been driving me nuts." Abby stepped off the bottom, wiping at a stray tear on her cheek, and paced slowly beside the boat, a hand over the bandage on her stomach.

"Abby…"

"I need you Gibbs." She continued. "I need you to feel safe, and now you hardly stay in the same room with me for more than ten minutes unless I practically beg, and you won't touch me, it's like I'm on fire or something. I crave contact with you. You've always been there with a hug or a kiss to the cheek… something. You make me feel safe. For three days I walked through the forest. You have no idea how many conversations I had with you out there."

"Abby…"

"No, I'm not done yet. I went over everything I wanted to tell you while I was out there. You kept me going. You told me to keep going, so I did."

"Abby…"

"And now," She turned to look at him, and continued her pacing. "It's like you'd… I don't know, have a root canal rather than talk to me. I get it, you're mad. But I'm not sorry for what I did. I'd do it all over again, and being mad won't change that." Over the course of her rant she had gone from speaking softly, struggling over the tears that welled in the corner of her eyes, to a harsh shout.

"I'm not mad, Abbs."

Abby's face softened momentarily as he called her Abbs, but her stern look quickly returned. "If you aren't mad, then you are blaming yourself, and I think that might be worse. I don't know how to make it clear, but there is no way that this was your fault. You need to believe that, because things need to get back to normal between us, because if they don't…" Abby made her way back to the stairs and sat down. "… if they don't, then there was no reason for me to ever leave those woods."

-----

_TBC_


	12. Chapter 12

Gibbs stepped forward to stand in front of her. He reached out and gently touched her cheek, sweeping his fingers under her chin to make her look up at him. "You told me not to touch you, so I was respecting your request."

Abby's eyes grew wide. "Gibbs, I didn't… I… I don't remember saying that."

"I reached out to you and you shyed away, kept saying 'don't touch' over and over again."

Abby closed her eyes and sighed. She tried to remember the events as she had stepped off the elevator. "I was covered in blood, and everything… everything hurt so bad. I just… what else did I say?"

"You don't remember?"

"Not really. I remember the elevator ride up. I remember being so tired, thinking maybe I should just wait until someone found me in the elevator. Then I remember waking up in the hospital, the nurse changing the bandages."

"The only other thing you said was that you needed Ducky."

Abby gave a slight shrug. "Well, at least I meant that. I remember walking through the woods thinking that Ducky would take good care of my wounds so that I didn't have to go to the hospital. I hate hospitals. Ever since Tony, you… Not a place I enjoy. I guess I was hurt a little worse than I anticipated."

"You only let Ducky near you. He had to give you a sedative when you got to the hospital so the doctors there could work on you. You don't remember that?"

She shook her head.

"I guess it's for the best."

"I'm really sorry. If I had realized that I had said that… Gibbs, I never meant to…" Abby sighed and rolled her eyes as she stood, a slight smile on her lips. "And since when do you ever follow requests?" She wrapped her arms around him, pressing her body softly against his.

"Since you were the one making it." He whispered softly against her ear. He closed his eyes and held her as tightly as he dared, against his chest. "Doesn't this hurt?"

Abby squeezed a bit tighter. "It'll hurt worse if I don't."

When she decided she could let go, she pulled away slowly and sat down on the steps, patting the spot next to her, urging him to sit. "Thanks, I needed that."

"I did too."

"It was, like, a week overdue." Abby leaned her head on his shoulder.

"It was."

They sat silently for a few minutes.

"Gibbs?"

"Hmm…?"

"You can't blame yourself."

"Abby, I…"

"No, Gibbs. You can't. I called the number, I agreed to meet Jason, I agreed to give myself over, and I didn't listen to anyone. There is no 'you' in that." She silenced him with a finger to his lips. "Gibbs, I did what I did because I love you."

"Abby…" Gibbs turned her face so that she looked at him. He leaned in to kiss her, but stopped when he saw a large tear well up and roll down her cheek. "Abby?"

A second tear formed and then a third. "I was so scared," she sobbed "I was lost in the woods and bleeding and I thought I was going to die and… and… and never got to tell you that I love you."

"Shhh, Abbs. It's ok." Gibbs kissed her cheek, tasting her salty tears on his lips. He turned slightly to pull her against his chest and let her cry. He was sure that there would be many more tears before she was able to move on. He wasn't so sure that he wouldn't end up shedding a few as well. As her sobs turned to a soft whimper, he stood. He fished his wallet out of his back pocket and handed Abby a folded piece of paper. "Can I throw this away now?"

Abby recognized the paper she had scribbled her note to him on, and nodded. "Yeah, toss it."

Gibbs flashed a grin and dropped the paper to the floor. He'd come back down later and tuck it away for safe keeping.

Abby sniffed and wiped at her eyes. "You didn't start on a boat, did you?"

"Nah." Gibbs shook his head. "I hadn't given up yet." He reached out and took her hand, noticing how she smiled at the simple contact. "Come on. Let's get you tucked back into bed. You need some rest."

"You'll stay with me?"

"Up you go, come on."

"Gibbs, you'll stay with me?"

"Relax, I wouldn't leave. Not even if you told me too."

"Funny." Abby started up the stairs with Gibbs behind her, a gentle hand on her lower back.

Once again Gibbs tucked the sheets around Abby, this time kissing her softly as he did so. Abby's eyes grew wide. "Gibbs?"

"Shhh, Abby. Sleep. We're going to get you through this before we talk about us."

"Us?"

"Close your eyes and sleep. I'll be right back, I just need to turn some lights off downstairs."

Abby nodded and her eyes closed.

Gibbs was quickly back down in the basement. He picked up the note that Abby had written. He tucked it into a small box and placed up on the top shelf in his basement. He hit the top of the stairs and flipped off the lights. In the kitchen he filled the coffee filter for the next morning.

He expected Abby to still be awake when he returned, but was please to find her sound asleep. He crawled onto the bed to lie beside her. She moved towards him in her sleep, and he wrapped his arms gently around her.

"I love you Abby, I'm going to get you through this."

_-----_

_TBC…_


	13. Chapter 13

Abby woke for the forth night in a row choking back sobs as Gibbs tightened his hold around her.

"Shh…" He soothed. "It was just a nightmare, you're ok. I've got you."

Abby rolled towards him, crying against his chest. It had become a regular occurrence, waking up in tears over the whole ordeal. She continued to have the same nightmare, lost in the woods, knowing exactly where she needed to go to get to Gibbs, but not being able to make it.

During the day she had been able to push the thoughts aside, laughing and joking with Tony when he came to visit, or with Gibbs as they made dinner together.

She still felt like Gibbs was keeping her at an arms' length away, and when she finally called him on it, he explained that she needed time before they could start anything. The only time he indulged her with an overload of physical contact was at night when he held her while she slept.

When Gibbs finally woke for the day, he reached for the phone and dialed Tony's number to tell him that he was in charge for the day. Abby had been seeing a therapist the past few days, but Gibbs didn't think it was helping. He knew he should give it longer, but he was impatient, and wasn't sure he believed in therapy anyway. It had done nothing for him.

Abby stirred and woke, her eyes still slightly swollen from her nightmare she'd woken from in the middle of the night. "Taking the day off?"

"Yeah, come on. Get dressed. We're going for a drive."

Abby yawned and sat up. "A drive?"

She was quick in the shower, and changed into a plain t-shirt and jeans. She no longer had a bandage over her stomach, it was tender, but the wound had healed. She found Gibbs waiting for her in the kitchen, a bowl of cereal waiting beside a cup of hot coffee.

Smiling softly as Gibbs kissed the top of her head as she sat at the table to eat the breakfast that he had prepared for her.

They ate silently, neither of them were much for chatting first thing in the morning. Once they had finished, Gibbs placed their bowls in the sink and grabbed their jackets. He escorted Abby to his car, settling her in the passenger seat.

Gibbs pulled out of the driveway. It took Abby approximately four seconds to break the silence. "So is this just a drive around, or does this drive have a specific destination."

"Specific destination."

Abby decided against asking anymore so she rested her forehead against the window and watched the world pass by. It wasn't until they pulled off the main road, taking a small road in towards the woods.

"Gibbs…?" Abby turned to face him, her eyes wide with fear.

He placed a hand reassuringly over hers. "It'll be ok Abby, I promise."

Abby could feel her heart pounding against her chest as they pulled up in front of the rundown cabin. It was still taped off from the investigation. She hadn't taken the time to really look at the cabin when she had run away, but the sight made her feel sick to her stomach.

Gibbs opened the door and held out his hand to her, urging her to get out of the car.

"I don't know if I can do this, Gibbs."

"You can, I'm right here. I won't go anywhere."

Abby stood staring at the cabin as Gibbs shut the car door behind her. Slowly Gibbs stepped into her line of vision, blocking her view of the cabin. "Look at me, Abbs." He waited until her eyes slowly made their way up to his. "Abby, I want you to show me where you went, ok?"

Abby nodded.

Before she could move away, Gibbs pulled her into a tight hug and whispered against her ear. "You're safe, Abby. I promise. "

Abby pulled away from his embrace and made her way towards the stream. When she reached the waters' edge, she stepped out of her shoes and waded in. The cold water lapping around her ankles brought back the pain she remembered feeling as the blood gushed from her stomach. Her hand moved to the scar that was left. "I decided to follow the stream because I wouldn't leave a trail for him to follow, and because I was likely to go in a circle otherwise." Her voice was flat as she took a few steps forward.

Gibbs removed his shoes and waded in after her.

Abby kept moving, further and further downstream, remembering where she had slipped on a slippery rock, where she had thought she had heard Jason behind her.

Gibbs followed her for almost a mile, letting her talk herself through the few days she had spent outside. As she slowed, Gibbs stepped up beside her. "Abby?"

"I'm here, Gibbs. In my dream, and I can see you just up that way." Abby pointed off into the distance. "I keep calling to you, but you don't move and Jason…" Abby fought against the sobs threatening to claim her. "Jason… he's coming from that way…" She pointed in the direction she had come from. "And… and you were just… just watching." Abby fell against his chest, unable to control the tears that fell.

"I'm here now, Abby. I would never stand by and watch you get hurt…." Gibbs thought back to when Jason had kicked her, he had done just that. "Oh Abby, I should have done something when he hurt you, I should have saved you."

As her tears slowed she looked up to Gibbs, surprised to see his eyes wet too. "If you had tried, you would've gotten us both killed. I know you'd never stand by and do nothing if there was something you could do."

"I still… I feel guilty, Abbs."

Abby snaked her arms around his torso and pressed her cheek against his chest. Abby sniffed and let the last of her tears soak into Gibbs shirt. When she let out a heavy sigh Gibbs stepped back, his hands tracing up her arms, over her shoulders and up to cup her cheeks. "I love you, Abby. Don't ever forget that, or think otherwise."

_----------------_

_TBC…._


	14. Chapter 14

"_I love you, Abby. Don't ever forget that, or think otherwise."_

Gibbs' rough thumbs wiped the last of the tears from Abby's cheeks as he searched her eyes. He could see the emotional pain ebbing away as she realized that her dream was just a dream, and that he was standing there with, not off in the distance.

Abby sniffed one last time and used the back of her hand to wipe at the tears that had collected around her nose. "If you don't kiss me now…"

Gibbs showed a little grin as he leaned forward to rest his forehead on hers. "Relax, I'm getting there."

"Oh…" Gibbs cut her off by pressing his lips down over hers. It was soft and sweet. Abby had assumed his kisses would be as demanding as he was, but this kiss was more about reassurance and support than lust and desire.

Abby was the first to pull back, her mind was spinning and her lungs ached for air.

"Abby, I love you. I really do."

Abby nuzzled her nose against his neck. "And I love you too. That's why I did it, you know?"

"I know. I still don't agree with the idea of you risking your life for mine, but I know why you did it."

"So you're sure you aren't mad?"

"Abby!" He took a breath to calm himself. "I told you, I'm not mad. Not at you, I never was mad at you."

"But you'd tell me if you were?"

The look he gave her was answer enough. "You ready to turn back? We've got a ways to get back, and the water feels like it's getting colder that longer we stand here."

Abby nodded and kissed the side of his neck. "I haven't been able to feel my toes since fifteen minutes after we started."

"Come on." Gibbs grabbed her hand and they slowly trudged back up stream. When they got to the slower moving water, where they weren't using their arms for balance, Gibbs swept Abby up into his arms to carry her.

"What are you doing?!" Abby squealed, and wrapped her arms around his neck.

"You can't feel your toes, and we'll move faster if I carry you."

Abby nipped at his earlobe. "Being swept off my feet, I like it…"

"Abby…" He warned. "We won't get far if you keep at that, and I'm not exactly a fan of nature in that way."

"You make an excellent point, Gibbs. An excellent point." Abby was silent the rest of the walk back towards the cabin and the car. When they reached the edge of the stream, Gibbs set Abby back on her feet with a kiss to the cheek, and they both bent to pick up their shoes. Gibbs headed back towards the car, but paused halfway when he didn't hear Abby behind him. She had wandered over to the side of the cabin and looked up at broken window where she had cut herself.

Her blood covered the shards of glass still in the window frame and she shuddered at the memory of falling from the window. A firm hand on her shoulder made her jump and spin around to face Gibbs.

"Sorry, Abby. I was calling your name, but I don't think you heard me."

"S'ok." She wrapped an arm around his waist and turned back to the cabin. "I fell there." She pointed to the grass below the window. "And the pain was so intense that I thought I was going to black out. So I focused on the clouds." She looked up and Gibbs followed her line of sight.

The day was clear, not a cloud in sight, but Gibbs could imagine her laying in the grass trying to focus on staying awake and staying alive. He tightened his hold on her and pressed his lips to the side of her head, just above her ear. "You're ok now."

Abby wasn't sure if he was trying to convince her or himself, but she answered anyway. "I know."

"Ready to leave?"

"Yeah, let's get out of here."

Gibbs led Abby back to the car, opening the door for her and shutting it again once she was settled. Gibbs started the car, and they slowly made their way back out to the main road.

"Gibbs?"

Gibbs looked over to Abby, resting a hand on her knee. "Yeah?"

"Can we get lunch?"

"Of course."

"And bring it to the team?"

"You want to go have lunch at work?"

She raised a shoulder and then let it fall. "Yeah, I just sort of want to be around everyone that I love for a bit. I'm a little shook up, I mean, you make me feel safe, but I just… "

"It's ok, you don't have to explain. We'll get lunch and bring it in. I'm sure the others will be grateful. Chinese? Pizza? Sandwiches? What'll it be?"

"Let's do sandwiches."

"Alright."

Abby was silent the rest of the drive. Gibbs was concerned, but he knew she was probably trying to process the events of the day so far.

He pulled into the parking lot of her favorite café and they both went in to order. Abby knew what everyone else usually ate, and ordered for them. Gibbs paid and they carried the food and the drink carriers out to the car. It was another ten minutes to the office, and as expected, as Gibbs strode from the elevator, Tony was perched on the corner of McGee's desk recalling the time he and the blond….

-----

TBC… One more chapter to go.

Love, love, love the reviews ^_^


	15. Chapter 15

_Tony was perched on the corner of McGee's desk recalling the time he and the blond…._

"Boss!"

Ziva hid her smile as McGee trained his eyes on the computer screen in front of him.

"Glad to see you hard at work, DiNozzo." Gibbs mentally reminded himself to head-slap Tony later.

"Uh, yeah, I was… uh…" Tony stuttered over an explanation when he knew he should just stay quiet.

"I thought so." Gibbs carried in the drink holder with sodas for everyone and a Caf-Pow! for Abby.

"We brought lunch, guys!" Abby held up two sacks containing the sandwiches. The agents all pulled their chairs up around Gibbs desk while Abby handed out the sandwiches she had ordered for everyone and then the drinks. Gibbs pulled up a chair for Abby and placed it next to his behind the desk.

Everyone settled into their seats and started in on lunch. Abby leaned back slightly into her chair and propped her ankles up on Tony's knee.

"So what have you guys been up to today?" Tony asked through a mouth full of sandwich.

Abby glanced over at Gibbs before she spoke; her voice was slightly muted. "We went back to the cabin."

McGee, Ziva and Tony sat a little straighter. "Are you ok?"

Abby sucked noisily on the straw to the Caf-Pow! they had picked up on the way in, and nodded. "I'm ok. I think it was good for me to see everything in daylight without all the pain." Her hand moved to her stomach. "Plus having Gibbs there made me feel safe. I feel better now. Not 100%, but I'm getting there. When we left I just had to overwhelming urge to come here and be with you guys, so here we are."

"Lunch is greatly appreciated."

"Although, I'm not sure earned." Gibbs broke in, referring to Tony chatting away about personal matters with McGee when they had arrived.

Abby made quick use of her elbow, elbowing Gibbs in the side. She was pleased that he was sitting close enough that the movement hadn't been a stretch. "Be nice. They've been working hard."

Gibbs tried to ignore the slight sparkle in her eye, though it was the first time he had seen it since the whole ordeal.

When he was done with his sandwich, he rested his arm on the back of Abby's chair, his finger casually twirling one of her pigtails. Her hair had been down earlier, but she had pulled it back up before they arrived back at headquarters.

He stayed out of the conversation for the most part. He observed the way Abby chatted; she used her hands a lot when it was something that she was passionate about. He noticed the way her lips pursed together when she tried to avoid laughing too hard at a joke made by Tony at McGee's expense. His thumb itched to reach out and sweep across her lower lip. That would have to wait.

Abby would glance over at him every so often, making sure he was at least following along, and that he didn't look bored. She tried to ignore the feeling of him playing with her hair, but it was so damn soothing. She wanted nothing more than to curl up on his lap and cling to him tightly.

She could feel his eyes on her the entire time, and she could also feel Tony's internal struggle not to say anything. She was sure Ziva had noticed as well, but she was much harder to read. McGee, she assumed, was oblivious.

As the conversation slowed, Abby felt it was time to go. As much as she enjoyed spending time with the team, they were technically on duty, and she knew Gibbs would ride them hard the next day if they hadn't finished the paper work they were elbow deep in.

"Alright, guys. You should get back to work. I'd hate to get you in trouble with the boss tomorrow." She gave a wide-eyed look when Gibbs gave her pigtail a yank.

Abby held up Gibbs garbage can for everyone to toss their trash. She stood as they all moved back towards their own desks; rolling her chair back over to the desk it had been taken. She walked back towards Gibbs desk and held out her hand. "Let's go, Gibbs. We have things to discuss."

The smile was faint across her lips, but it spoke volumes through her eyes. Her reward was a small, lop-sided grin as he stood. Gibbs grabbed his keys and the jacket off the back of his chair before taking her hand.

Tony watched with wide eyes as Gibbs walked hand-in-hand with Abby towards the elevator. Had he been a little more centered in front of the elevator he would've seen the smile on Abby's face when Gibbs kissed her forehead and said, "I guess we do."

Tony grinned once the elevator doors closed. "You know what they're gonna do- oww!" He grimaced at the double head-slap courtesy of Ziva and McGee.

----------

_The End._

_I'm so happy for those of you who stuck through this story to the end. I wanted to end with a little classic Tony, but also leave it open for a sequel should I get bored of all the other ficlets I've got going on. And I apologize to those who were hoping to see the rating change to M here at the end. _

_The smut bunnies will come out to play in the next one, pinky swear!_


End file.
